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Fjord Line's has revealed that two new cruise ferries will be powered solely by liquefied natural gas (LNG) instead of heavy fuel oil.

When the Norwegian firm's new vessel, the MS Stavangerfjord is put in operation in 2013, it will be the first and largest cruise ferry in the world to sail with a single LNG engine.

"In this way Fjord Line will meet the new, stricter standards for sulfur content in fuels long before the deadline in 2015," said CEO Ingvald Fardal.

Fjord Line has two new cruise ferries under construction at Bergen Group Fosen. When both ships are in service, travellers will be offered daily departures all year round on the routes between Bergen, Stavanger and Hirtshals, and between Hirtshals and Langesund.

While other shipping companies have based their natural gas operations on dual fuel engines, Fjord Line has gone one step further by using a single LNG engine in order to reduce emissions and protect the environment.

"Installation of the motors and other technical equipment needed to power the ships with natural gas will extend the construction period. However, going with natural gas from day one will mean we can avoid taking the ships out of operation for three months when the new emission standards come in force in 2015. We will take delivery of MS Stavangerfjord from the shipyard in April of next year and welcome passengers to the maiden voyage from Bergen in May. The other ship will be ready to sail a few months later. We will then achieve the regularity we have been working toward without a long service interruption in 2014," said Fardal.

He noted that Fjord Line's new ships will travel in areas with many shoals. By using only LNG as fuel, the environmental impact will be significantly less, both along the coasts and in the harbours where the cruise ferries will operate.

Fjord Line has chosen Rolls-Royce as the supplier of its LNG engines. "This is a well-proven technology, produced in Norway, that has been used on a number of ferries and ships used in the offshore industry. In addition to meeting important environmental considerations, natural gas operation will be more cost-effective than heavy fuel oil," commented Fardal.

Fardal pointed out that emissions of sulphur from shipping in Northern Europe will be limited to 0.1 percent from 2015. LNG contains no sulphur or heavy metals. It reduces CO2 emissions by 20-30 percent and emissions of NOx by around 90 percent compared to heavy fuel oil.

After 2015, the only alternatives to natural gas will be diesel, or investing in expensive scrubbing technology that removes the emissions from the combustion of heavy fuel oil.

"We are very pleased to have signed agreements that ensure our ships will operate in the most environmentally friendly way and on commercially attractive terms. At this time we would like to thank the NOx Fund for the contribution that has made this possible," said Fardal.